Many people lack a factual understanding of events in our region because the media report them inadequately. We blog here because our daughter Malki, murdered at the age of 15 in a restaurant massacre in Jerusalem, was a victim of jihadist hatred and barbarism. For jihadism and terrorism to end in Israel, New York, Madrid, London and everywhere else, people first need to understand the scale on which it is happening and why. This ongoing war is killing us.

Sunday, November 02, 2014

02-Nov-14: Understanding what they really mean when the terrorists say children are their main concern

Universal Children's Daytakes
place on November 20, less than three weeks from today. The annual event was initiated by the
UN General Assembly in 1954 as a way of encouraging states to "to
promote mutual exchange and understanding among children" and similar
blah blah. But also "to initiate action to benefit and promote the
welfare of the world's children" which is a worthy and concrete goal.

Even the most cursory look at things that are done to children in many parts of the world serves to persuade of the need to take their
welfare very seriously. Think of the millions of children cheated of education and forced into child labour, slavery, prostitution and pornography. And then there's the recruitment and training of child soldiers, a matter that has occupied us here on this blog often. The
UN adopted the Declaration of the
Rights of the Childon November 20, 1958 and
then the Convention on the
Rights of the Child exactly 31 years later, on
November 20, 1989. That convention is going to be 25 years old later this
month. Pretty soon now the formalities, the issue
of new postage stamps and theme posters and similar actions by civil servants are going to render the occasion even more meaningless than it probably is already. So allow us please to share a handful of observations about children in the Palestinian Arab world.First some notes from a brief analysis triggered by the wave of violence that is currently on view here in Jerusalem from where we produce this blog. The Israeli Arab journalist and analyst, Khaled Abu Toameh ["Palestinians:Stop the Children's Intifada!", October 29, 2014] writes:

Nearly half of the Palestinians arrested by Jerusalem
Police over the past few months are minors. Some of them are
as young as nine. These children are being sent to throw stones and
firebombs, and launch fireworks at policemen and IDF soldiers, as well as at
Israeli civilians and vehicles, including buses and the light rail in
Jerusalem. Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian groups are using children from east Jerusalem and the West Bank in what appears to be a new intifada against Israel... The exploitation of children in the fight against Israel has
attracted little attention from the international community and media. Human
rights groups and United Nations institutions have chosen to turn a blind eye
to these human rights abuses. Instead of condemning those who exploit the children and
dispatch them to confront policemen and soldiers, these groups and institutions
are busy denouncing Israel for targeting minors.

He says most of the children detained by police for involvement in the violence are released to house arrest. Those aged between nine and 13 are referred to social welfare authorities and not detained. More quotes from Abu Toameh:

Hamas and Fatah had long discovered that children are one of the most effective tools in the fight against Israel - especially because of the damage Israel sustains in the court of international public opinion.

This strategy works out well for Palestinian groups such
as Hamas and Fatah. At the end of the day, they can always blame Israel for
"deliberately" targeting Palestinian children and women -- an
allegation that the mainstream media in the West often endorses without asking
questions.

Moreover, the Palestinian groups know that the children
who are being sent to confront Israeli soldiers and policemen will not be held
accountable...

These children are victims of a campaign of
indoctrination and incitement that is being waged by various Palestinian groups... through the
media, mosques, educational institutions and the fiery rhetoric of leaders and
activists...

There are also reports that Fatah and Hamas activists in Jerusalem have been paying children small sums of money to throw stones and firebombs at Israelis and block roads in several Arab neighborhoods... Palestinian groups
often reward the families of the children by hiring lawyers and paying fines
imposed on them by Israeli courts. As a result, the families are less motivated
to stop their children from risking their lives...

The time has come for the international community and media to pay attention to their disturbing conduct and demand that Palestinian groups stop hiding behind children... The adult activists who send and encourage children to take part in violence should be held accountable, not only by Israeli authorities, but also by their own people and international human rights organizations. If these adults want an intifada, they should be the first to go out and confront Israeli policemen and soldiers.

We mentioned above that the recruitment and training of child soldiers into the Palestinian terrorism machine is a matter that has occupied us often here on this blog over the years. Here are some links to past posts to bookmark and read when you can:

30-Jul-14:
The ordinariness of utter evil (includes one of the most chilling video interviews we have ever seen - a Palestinian Arab mother speaks from the hospital room where her child's life is being saved by Israeli doctors, and tells of her deepest hopes)

Not for the first time, we are left to wonder aloud why UNICEF, Save the Children, Amnesty,Terre des Hommes, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and so many other well-funded, high-profile public interest organizations are taking so little interest in this unfolding tragedy. It's happening right under their noses. And, as the famous cover (above right) from LIFE magazine, published more than 40 years ago reminds, they can hardly claim this is some sort of new phenomenon.

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THIS ONGOING WAR is not part of the activity of the Malki Foundation which was founded by us, Frimet and Arnold Roth of Jerusalem, on September 9, 2001. But it is inspired by the same tragic circumstances. The Malki Foundation (also known by its Hebrew name: Keren Malki) is a memorial to the life of our daughter, Malki. She's in the photo below this paragraph. Malki was murdered at the age of 15 in a massacre in the centre of Jerusalem carried out by Hamas.

Beyond its function as a remembrance of a beautiful life, the foundation provides tangible, concrete, invaluable support daily to several thousand Israeli families from every part of the religious and socio-economic spectrum: Christian, Moslem, Jewish, Druze and others who care at home for a seriously disabled child.

Reach us at thisongoingwar@gmail.com

Our daughter Malka Chana Roth

Born in Melbourne 1985. Murdered in a Hamas terrorist outrage in Jerusalem 2001

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It's the charitable organization we, the bloggers who produce This Ongoing War, established in 2001 in memory of our murdered daughter. Her name is Malki.

Keren Malki (in Hebrew, Keren means 'foundation' or 'fund') is efficient, effective, non-sectarian, non-political and unique in the good work it does. Thousands of families from every part of our richly diverse society here in Israel have benefited in concrete and meaningful ways. Donations to Keren Malki are tax-effective in Israel, Canada, UK and the United States.

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This Ongoing War: About this blog

Many people lack a factual understanding of events in our region because the media often report them inadequately. Our daughter Malki, murdered at the age of 15 in a restaurant massacre in Jerusalem, was a victim of jihadist hatred and barbarism. For jihadism and terrorism to end in Israel, in New York, in Madrid, in London and everywhere else, people first need to understand the scale on which it is happening. This ongoing war is killing us.